Supporting Mental Health Initiatives in the Ithaca Community

Month: April 2018

Legal counsel, risk managers, counseling centers, and student mental health advocates at colleges in Ithaca and across the nation will be monitoring a new lawsuit that asserts that the University of Pennsylvania’s failure to provide “any meaningful help, support and safety net” led to the suicide of 21-year-old business school student Ao “Olivia” Kong. The lawsuit seeks to hold Penn’s trustees accountable for “reckless disregard” in failing to follow best practices for suicide prevention, contending that the university “had a duty to ensure her safety and wellbeing and protect her from harm.” In asserting the university’s negligence, the lawsuit says “Penn didn’t just fail her, it killed her.”

Ao “Olivia” Kong (Source: Feldman Shepherd)

In the spring of 2016, according to the lawsuit filed on April 10 in Philadelphia County’s Court of Common Pleas, Kong became despondent while struggling with an academic overload and symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and anorexia during the second semester of her junior year. The 3.3 GPA student feared that she might fail a course, and jeopardize her financial aid as well as an upcoming paid summer internship with Bank of America, the lawsuit says.

Born in China, Kong had immigrated to the United States at age 9 with her parents and became one of the top students in the Philadelphia public school system. She placed first in national math contests and city science fairs; played violin in the school orchestra; was a member of the drama club, varsity tennis squad, and newspaper editorial board; and volunteered in community service organizations. She won early admission to Penn’s prestigious Wharton School, Class of 2017; Wharton is ranked as the No. 1 undergraduate business school in the United States, with annual tuition and fees of $53,534.

Kong was struck and killed by a SEPTA train in West Philadelphia in the early morning of Monday April 11, 2016. The lawsuit brought by her parents contends that in seeking help amidst a mental health crisis from the university’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Student Health Center, and the Wharton School, Kong communicated that she was suicidal to Penn professionals on at least nine occasions between April 7 and April 9.

According to the lawsuit, Kong’s suicidal thoughts were expressed directly or indirectly to a CAPS psychiatrist on four occasions; a CAPS clinician; a CAPS social worker; a Wharton academic advisor; and on a CAPS intake form and a school petition for a course withdrawal.

The four-count lawsuit, which alleges negligence, wanton and willful misconduct, reckless disregard, and includes a wrongful death claim and a survival action, reads as a scathing indictment of Penn’s academic pressures and mental health policies and practices as well as of its institutional mindset. It labels the suicides at Penn a “worsening epidemic,” stating that Kong had been the tenth Penn student to die by suicide in three years, and another four have taken their own lives in the two years since then.

“So long as Penn refuses to adequately address the academic and personal stresses underlying these suicides, and take appropriate measures to protect its students from the harms associated with those stresses, it willfully and recklessly exposes its students to an extraordinarily high risk of suicide,” the lawsuit says.

It goes on: “Similarly, Penn’s abject failure to hire competent and qualified professionals to assist its students in managing their stress and/or enact and implement policies designed to ensure the safety, physical and mental wellbeing of its students, constitutes a reckless disregard and callous indifference to the safety, health and wellbeing of its students.”

— Failure to provide outreach and support programs and to formulate, implement, and enforce policies, practices, and guidelines that comply with current professional standards and nationally established criteria and/or best practices “to reduce academic stress and the risk of suicide”;

—Failure to formulate, implement, and enforce policies, practices, and guidelines to address the warning signs of suicide in students-in-crisis, including those suffering from academic stress; and to assess and treat students with suicide ideation;

—Failure to hire, retain, and ensure that the persons overseeing, supervising, administering, and providing psychological services are aware of and/or comply with best practices for suicide prevention;

—Failure to waive patient confidentiality to inform parents when a student was in imminent danger of suicide;

—Failure to dedicate sufficient resources to reduce the risk of, and prevent, suicides.

The lawsuit slates Penn for other failures, including:

——Failure to formulate, implement, and enforce policies, practices, and guidelines to assess and treat students-in-crisis, including those suffering from academic stress;

—Failure to ensure that information about Penn’s mental health resources is easily accessible to people providing the services and to its students;

—Failure to hire, retain, and ensure that the persons overseeing, supervising, administering, and providing psychological services are aware of Penn’s programs and resources for students-in-crisis;

The lawsuit says that Kong was afraid of failing a course, and was frustrated by hurdles in the way of dropping it and by her inability to get academic tutoring. She first reported academic stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, and inability to concentrate during a visit to the Student Health Center on March 30, according to the lawsuit. The attending physician attributed Kong’s signs and symptoms to an upper respiratory infection and fever, and failed to address her academic stress and anxiety or refer her to any university resources for students experiencing such conditions, the lawsuit says.

A week later, after her physical and mental health deteriorated, the lawsuit goes on, Kong placed a call in a state of distress to the after-hours CAPS number at around 1:30 a.m. on April 7. She reportedly told the on-call psychiatrist that she was anxious and afraid of failing a class, unable to sleep, and had experienced a panic attack, feelings of self-hatred, and suicidal thoughts. The lawsuit alleges that the psychiatrist dismissed Kong’s academic fears as “run of the mill” for undergraduates and discussed how CAPS could assist her in dropping the course during regular business hours.

According to the lawsuit, later that day she went to CAPS and conveyed her academic anxiety and current suicidal thoughts on the intake form as well as to a social worker—with whom she also shared her feelings of depression and shame and idea of taking an overdose of sleeping pills as the method of killing herself. The social worker concluded that Kong had no actual intention or means of taking her own life, the lawsuit says. It adds that the social worker scheduled Kong for a follow-up CAPS appointment four days later at 3 p.m. on April 11—by then, Kong had died as the result of blunt force trauma.

Still later on April 7, Kong met with a Wharton advisor, mentioned her past suicide ideation, and filed a petition for late withdrawal from an upper-level course. She explained that she was “struggling with the class and it is causing me to become depressed. I have not been able to sleep for the past week.” She concluded the petition by stating she has “thoughts of suicide.”

According to the lawsuit, after the Wharton advisor alerted CAPS about her meeting with Kong, the CAPS social worker sent Kong an email reminding her of her CAPS appointment the following Monday afternoon April 11; she also said that in the meantime Kong had the options of visiting or calling CAPS during regular business hours, contacting the CAPS after-hours clinician, or calling a national suicide hotline 24/7.

On Saturday evening April 9, after a Penn graduate assistant alerted CAPS of his concern about Kong, the CAPS psychiatrist reportedly spoke with her again by phone for about an hour. She had gone to spend part of the weekend at home with her parents, who were concerned about her welfare but were unaware of her expressed intention to kill herself.

According to the lawsuit, Kong told the psychiatrist of her frustration and hopelessness with Wharton’s “roadblocks” to dropping a class and exploring a leave of absence. “After telling him that ‘people aren’t listening to me,’” the lawsuit alleges, “Olivia said that she planned to return to campus the next day and kill herself.”

Kong and the psychiatrist also discussed the possibility of an inpatient psychiatric admission, which Kong was told was an option “if no other plan can work,” the lawsuit says. When Kong inquired about the expense of an emergency room visit, the lawsuit alleges, the psychiatrist remarked that “the cost of [an emergency room] is likely less than [the] cost of funeral arrangements.”

According to the lawsuit, the psychiatrist advised Kong to speak with her parents and said he would contact Wharton about her academic situation; and said if she could not make it emotionally until her Monday appointment with CAPS, she had the options of calling CAPS, dialing 911, or to “get herself to the ER.”

The lawsuit faults Penn professionals for failing due to ignorance or incompetence to refer Kong to multiple available mental health services and programs; failing to develop a treatment plan for Kong’s suicide ideation, provide psychotherapy and medication, or refer her to a local hospital or emergency room; failing to notify Kong’s parents that she was at imminent risk of self-harm, or to arrange for somebody to stay with Kong until she obtained medical help; failing to alert the police of her intention to take her own life; failing to relieve Kong of severe academic stress; failing to ensure that she was capable of handling a heavy course load.

“The failure of these multiple professionals,” the lawsuit argues, “to take adequate and proper precautions or preventative measures to adequately treat Olivia and protect her from harm during a period when they knew her articulated suicidal thoughts and plans or in the exercise of due care should have known that she was suicidal and that she was incapable of maintaining proper perspective and making sound decisions regarding her health, safety and wellbeing was the proximate cause of her suicide.”

Standards and Practices

The lawsuit does not specifically identify a source for its reference to professional standards and nationally established best practices. However, one prominent example is the 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, released by the U.S. Surgeon General, which describes goals to “promote suicide prevention as a core component of healthcare services” and to “promote and implement effective clinical and professional practices for assessing and treating those at risk for suicidal behaviors.” The strategy is meant to guide suicide prevention actions in the United States throughout the decade.

In February 2016, The Joint Commission, a body that accredits healthcare programs in the United States, issued recommendations to improve the treatment of individuals with suicide ideation. The commission urged all healthcare organizations “to develop clinical environment readiness by identifying, developing and integrating comprehensive behavioral health, primary care and community resources to assure continuity of care for individuals at risk for suicide.”

Furthermore, the commission said, “it’s imperative for healthcare providers in all settings to better detect suicide ideation in patients, and to take appropriate steps for their safety and/or refer these patients to an appropriate provider for screening, risk assessment, and treatment.”

Many experts point to the Zero Suicide Model of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) as a prime example of best practices; it holds that “suicide deaths for individuals under care within health and behavioral health systems are preventable.”

The question of whether universities and college counseling centers have a legal “duty of care” to prevent suicide is currently evolving. A strong legal precedent has yet to be established, due in part to the fact that many lawsuits alleging university negligence in suicide cases are settled before they reach court.

Guidance issued by SPRC notes that in successful medical malpractice lawsuits, the plaintiff proves a breach of duty of care by showing that the defendant’s act or omission fell below the standard of care and increased the risk of harm to the plaintiff. The core of a suicide case, SPRC says, is whether the suicide was “foreseeable”—that there was a reasonable anticipation that some harm or injury is likely to result from certain acts or omissions.

The Jed Foundation, with which Penn maintains a mental health review partnership, argues that “ultimately, litigation risk can be substantially reduced by following some simple advice—use good professional judgment; develop a comprehensive suicide/violence prevention program; follow written and/or unwritten policies and protocols; ensure that available mental health services are in keeping with professional codes of ethics and standards of practice.”

The Kong lawsuit also takes Penn administrators to task for the way in which they announced Kong’s death. Initially, the lawsuit says, President Amy Gutmann informed the campus community of a student death without identifying the student or the manner of death. The same day, Penn representatives allegedly told Kong’s parents as well as Wharton undergraduates that her death was an “accident.”

“Responsibility for Their Own Wellbeing”

Kong’s death occurred just a year after a high-profile Penn task force issued a report praising Penn for its “impressive” and “wide array” of mental health resources, peer-education and support groups, and singling out CAPS for providing “excellent services to a wide range of students.” The report said that the “unwavering commitment” of staff and faculty to ensuring mental health support for students was “very impressive” and “clearly evident.”

Rather, the report said, the problem was the pressures engendered by the perception among Penn students that “one has to be perfect” in every academic, co-curricular, and social endeavor. That perception can lead to stress and distress, compounded in some cases by the endemic use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs, lack of sleep, and improper nutrition, the report said.

The report emphasized that “stress is a normal part of life,” that “campuses across the country” face mental health challenges, and that college students are not statistically at a higher risk for suicide. At Penn, the report stated, “students (undergraduate, graduate, and professional) are expected to take responsibility for their own wellbeing.”

The report recognized that “during times of stress or distress, it is challenging to maintain one’s perspective and to make sound decisions about whether and to whom to turn for help.” Therefore, the report explained, “Penn has a strong and committed network of individuals and of offices that can either provide direct assistance or ensure that students are appropriately referred.”

Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price convened the task force in February 2014 shortly after two student suicides, and charged it with examining student mental health challenges; reviewing Penn’s programs, policies, and practices for addressing the challenges; and making recommendations for improvement.

The task force said there were “opportunities to further strengthen the university’s efforts” and made recommendations in four main areas: 1) communicating to students about the importance of mental health and wellbeing to their academic success; 2) making information about Penn’s mental health and wellness resources more accessible; 3) educating and training faculty, staff, students, and parents about mental health and in responding to students who need help; and 4) “optimizing” the resources the university devotes to psychological counseling.

The report cited “the limits” on the resources Penn provides to CAPS and made no recommendation to increase funding; instead, the report said that CAPS should communicate to students—as well as to staff, faculty, and students who refer students to CAPS—that CAPS is only designed to provide short-term care and make referrals to other care providers.

The Kong lawsuit, arguing that Penn failed to provide and/or dedicate sufficient resources to implement and enforce current professional standards and nationally established best practices for reducing academic stress and the risk of suicide, challenges the task force’s claim of funding limitations. “Given Penn’s $12 billion endowment, there were (and are) sufficient resources to address its continued failure to ensure the safety of its students, but for inexplicable reasons, it has failed (and continues) to do so,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit takes issue with the task force for “shockingly” placing “the responsibility for its students’ health and wellbeing not on the professionals associated with those offices and programs but on the students themselves” and for concluding “that the problem did not lie with those programs and resources but in persuading students to use them.” The lawsuit says “the ultimate irony” is that Kong “not only sought help from all of the resources available to her, but she also specifically communicated her suicidal thoughts and plans, all to no avail.”

Nevertheless, the lawsuit adds, the task force report established that “Penn was clearly aware that the highly competitive academic stresses it placed upon its students not only increased their risk of developing depression and anxiety but decreased their ability to maintain proper perspective and make sounds decisions about their safety, health and wellbeing thereby increasing their risk of committing suicide.”

The lawsuit blames Penn for failing to ensure that the members of the task force were “qualified” or that its findings and conclusions complied with current professional standards and nationally established best practices to reduce academic stress and the risk of suicide. The lawsuit accuses Penn of failing to ensure that “the entire Penn community” was aware of and complied with the findings, recommendations, and conclusions of the task force.

The lawsuit criticizes Penn for excluding students from the task force reviewing the university’s mental health policies and practices; the 10 task force members were all Penn senior administrators and academic officers, including five vice presidents and vice provosts, and a number of current and former deans and department chairs.

In response to the Kong lawsuit, a university spokesperson told local media that Penn does not comment on pending litigation.

After Kong’s suicide, Penn reconvened the mental health task force in 2016 but did not release a new report. According to the Daily Pennsylvanian, “the University’s task force concluded after Kong’s 2016 death that Penn’s wide array of ongoing mental health initiatives are sufficient to address the issue.” Penn’s student newspaper quoted task force co-chair Rebecca Bushnell, a former dean of arts and sciences, saying: “The task force completed its work at the end of the summer of 2016, so we have nothing new to say.”

[If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can contact the Crisisline (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) at 1-800-273-8255 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.]

On March 9, Cornell University launched its Coalition on Mental Health. The coalition comprises over 80 students, staff, and faculty members and is chaired by Vice President for Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi.

The coalition serves as a forum for discourse and information dissemination on emerging trends, research findings, and campus initiatives related to campus health and well-being. The coalition will examine student health priorities including the promotion of mental health and the prevention of suicide, alcohol and other drug abuse, and hazing. It will also address the intersection of these priority areas with sexual and interpersonal violence and bias.

The coalition builds on the role that the former university Council on Mental Health and Well-Being played from 2004–2016, as well as past councils on alcohol and other drugs and hazing prevention. The university’s Coalition on Sexual Violence Prevention continues to serve a corresponding role in relation to sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, and stalking.

The coalition’s first meeting focused on Cornell’s Mental Health Framework. A standing-room-only turnout underscored the importance of mental health to the Cornell community. Coalition members discussed the framework, potential new strategies, and areas for improvement.

The coalition’s April meeting examined Cornell’s participation in JED Campus, an initiative of the JED Foundation. The first phase of Cornell’s involvement in the initiative was an external review conducted by JED. The review’s report and Cornell’s response are posted here on the Cornell Health website.

One function of the coalition is to facilitate communication about upcoming events and the activities various student organizations, including Cornell Minds Matter, Reflect at Cornell, and the Student Mental Health Task Force. In addition, the coalition includes representatives from the undergraduate Student Assembly and Graduate and Professional Students Assembly.

In the coming academic year, the Coalition on Mental Health will meet at least twice a semester and continue examination of ideas, challenges, and opportunities to support the health and well-being of the Cornell campus community. For more information (including meeting minutes and membership list), visit Cornell Health’s Campus Leadership & Health Campaigns page.

—By Timothy Marchell

Timothy Marchell, Ph.D., M.P.H. is a clinical psychologist and director of the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives at Cornell Health

This is a group of owners, managers, and workers from Ithaca’s restaurants, bars, and cafes taking a one-day course in Mental Health First Aid on April 16. They’re smiling because they had great fun, learned valuable skills, and became more confident in their abilities to support a family member, friend, colleague, or stranger experiencing a mental health crisis. Oh, and they also received official certification as Mental Health First Aiders.

The training was conducted by Melanie Little and David Bulkley of the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County. It was sponsored by a grant from The Sophie Fund to offer free training for the dedicated men and women of Ithaca’s vibrant culinary scene—where thin margins, long hours, erratic schedules, and high pressures can be the routine. The 15 trainees in the session are employed by Gimme! Coffee, Argos Inn, The Watershed, Temple of Zeus, Manndible Cafe, and other enterprises.

“With the stigma around mental illness, and given the hectic lives we lead today, it’s easy for somebody not to immediately seek the mental health support they need, or for people around them not to recognize signs that a crisis is brewing,” said Scott MacLeod, a founder of The Sophie Fund. “We aim to see Mental Health First Aid become the norm across the public and private sectors in Tompkins County. We would like to see every government agency, educational institution, and major business providing training opportunities—and in some cases, mandated training—for their managers and staff.”

In training at the Tompkins County Public Library

Developed in Australia in 2000, the National Council for Behavioral Health brought Mental Health First Aid to the United States in 2008. Like traditional first aid, Mental Health First Aid is not about diagnosing or treating ailments, but rather giving immediate initial assistance until professional mental health support can be provided.

In the one-day Mental Health First Aid course, trainees learn the risk factors and warning signs for mental disorders and substance use concerns, strategies for assisting people in crisis and non-crisis situations, and how to get professional help.

Practicing Mental Health First Aid skills

In the United States, the “movement” boasts a million Mental Health First Aiders—and millions more are needed. The country is going through an epidemic of mental health disorders. The national suicide rate increased 24 percent from 1999 to 2014. In 2016, 42,249 people died from opioid overdoses; 2.1 million Americans had an opioid use disorder. An estimated 43.6 million American adults are living with a psychiatric illness and another 16.3 million have an alcohol use disorder.

The 2016 annual report of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health said collected data from 139 college counseling centers showed that 33.2 percent of 150,483 college students seeking counseling in the 2015-16 academic year had “seriously considered attempting suicide.” That was a marked increase from 23.8 percent in the 2010-11 academic year. About 1,100 college students annually take their own lives.

“As someone who has battled both depression and anxiety personally, and has family members who battle alcoholism, this is a very important topic to me,” said Emily Guenther, one of the April 16 trainees. “It was nice to come to a class where I felt like people understood the difficulties and hardships that are faced daily when dealing with mental health issues. It was wonderful for me to finally get some tools that will be very useful for me moving forward!”

The sentiment was shared by many other trainees.

“The hospitality world often fosters an especially high-stress work environment and, as someone in a managerial position, I am very invested in the mental well-being of my crew, both day-to-day and long-term,” said Rob Hummel, the front desk manager of Argos Inn. “Certainly being concerned for others isn’t enough to be helpful, and the very specific identification and communication techniques presented at training gave me a proper, practical means of applying that concern when it’s needed. The attitude of care and compassion that Melanie and David encouraged as an integral part of mental health first aid is invaluable, both at work and in one’s own life.”

“At the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, we are passionate about Mental Health First Aid as part of the delivery of our agency’s mission to create a citizen’s movement in support of our community’s mental health,” said trainer Melanie Little. “The further this information spreads, the more our area will be filled with individuals who are ready to provide support, compassion, understanding, and resources to our fellow community members who are struggling.”

Little explained that the training teaches compassion, listening skills, the types of mental health help that are available, and combats the stigma surrounding mental health that prevents so many individuals from accessing the help they need and deserve. In an eight-hour course, she said, the training includes discussions about complex and difficult topics, and gives participants ample time to practice their skills by applying them to a wide range of scenarios.

Melanie Little and David Bulkley of the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County

Mental Health First Aid not only serves humanity, it serves the bottom line, too. According to Mental Health First Aid USA, 40 percent of employees with a mental illness take up to 10 days off work a year because of it. Yet 35 percent of managers feel they have no formal support or resources to help their employees.

And, it’s kind of cool, or at least Lady Gaga thinks so: her Born This Way Foundation has helped train 150,000 people in Mental Health First Aid.

For more information or to schedule a training in Tompkins County, contact:

The uncomfortable topic of suicide was the main theme of a four-day-long “Mental Health Weekend” organized by the student mental health advocacy group Cornell Minds Matter. As part of its effort to encourage open discussion about suicide and to destigmatize mental disorders, the group hosted a screening for the Ithaca community Sunday evening of The S Word, a new award-winning documentary by director Lisa Klein. The event was sponsored by The Sophie Fund.

The film follows the remarkable journey of suicide attempt survivor Dese’Rae L. Stage as she “documents the stories of courage, insight, and humor of fellow survivors.” Klein was on hand to personally present the film on the Cornell University campus, and, along with one of those survivors, Kelechi Ubozoh, took part in a panel discussion immediately following the screening. They were joined by Garra Lloyd-Lester, director of the New York State Suicide Prevention Community Initiatives.

Klein is a survivor of both her father’s and brother’s suicides. She has struggled with the “whys” for years, along with the guilt, shame, and confusion that lingers in suicide’s wake. She made The S Word to spur more open conversations about suicide.

Watching The S Word at the Biotechnology Building conference room Sunday evening

“Tragically, 1,100 college students die each year by suicide, making suicide one of the leading causes of death among college students and young people generally,” said Cornell Minds Matter President Cooper Walter. “We hosted The S Word to increase the awareness and understanding of suicide. By expanding the conversation, we hope to contribute to the growing Zero Suicide initiative in Tompkins County.”

Other Mental Health Weekend events included a Speak Your Mind student panel in partnership with Active Minds at Ithaca College, where students could share their personal stories about suicide. On Saturday evening, the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Ithaca hosted Dancing for Life, its 6th annual fundraiser for the local crisisline that provides 24/7 support for people in crisis.

The Sophie Fund is a nonprofit organization advocating for improved mental health policies and practices in Tompkins County. It was established by the family of Sophie Hack MacLeod, a Cornell senior who took her own life in Ithaca in March 2016 while on a health leave of absence.

Sophie Jones, a Cornell University student and volunteer with The Sophie Fund, at The S Word screening

[If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can contact the Crisisline (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) at 1-800-273-8255 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.]

I joined Cornell Minds Matter, a student organization that promotes mental health at Cornell University, during the spring semester of my freshman year. My first year of college was rough. Academically, I managed fine. Mentally, I struggled to stay afloat.

Cornell Minds Matter President Cooper Walter

The normal homesickness, imposter syndrome, and fish-out-of-water sensation that many teenagers experience when saying goodbye to their families and going away to college were hard enough. On top of this, my anxiety symptoms were worsening. The social anxiety disorder that I had been diagnosed with a few years before had been improving with cognitive behavioral therapy. But traveling across the country, from a small high school on a strip mall to a campus of almost twenty thousand, was almost too much.

I felt isolated. I didn’t go to the dining halls because sitting alone in a crowded room was unbearable. I tried supplementing my calorically insufficient diet with packages of Oreos that I would eat in one sitting, but I kept losing weight. Losing hope, I got an email about Club Fest, the big gathering of hundreds of campus clubs in Cornell’s field house. That’s where I discovered Cornell Minds Matter.

Cornell Minds Matter (CMM) is a student group that strives to promote the wellbeing of our campus, reduce the stigma of mental illness, and connect students to the many resources available. Headquartered in a room in the Dean of Students Office, Cornell Minds Matter hosts discussion series on mental health topics (such as Dining with Diverse Minds), de-stressing events (such as gratitude card writing and bamboo planting), free physical exercise activities (including yoga and Zumba), and dozens of other events.

When I approached Cornell Minds Matter’s table, the CMM members struck me with their generosity, passion, and compassion. I was immediately interested. Being pre-med, I wanted someday to help people with their health. In CMM, I could serve others and maybe, just maybe, even raise myself out of the morass I was in.

Over three years, starting out as a regular member, then becoming a program chair, then a vice president, and now, in my senior year, president of this amazing organization, I’ve tried my best to make Cornell a better place for all minds. I can’t thank Cornell Minds Matter enough for supporting me all these years as I’ve struggled—and, I’m grateful to say, largely overcome—my own mental illness.

I’m not alone in my battle. Twenty-five percent of college students experience a mental health disorder during their time at university. Yet, less than one-third seek help. Tragically, 1,100 college students die each year by suicide, making suicide one of the leading causes of death among college students and young people generally.

So, along with my incredible fellow CMM members, I’ve been organizing Cornell Minds Matter’s Mental Health Weekend to take place April 13–16. The Weekend’s main theme is suicide.

On Saturday, April 14, we’re hosting a Speak Your Mind student panel in partnership with Active Minds at Ithaca College, where students will share their personal stories about suicide.

On Saturday evening at Hotel Ithaca, the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Ithaca is hosting Dancing for Life, its 6th annual fundraiser for the local crisisline that provides 24/7 support for people in crisis.

On Sunday, April 15, through the support of The Sophie Fund, we are hosting a screening of the new documentary on suicide, The S Word. The film will be immediately followed by a Q&A panel discussion with director Lisa Klein, mental health activist Kelechi Ubozoh, and leader in the New York suicide prevention scene Garra Lloyd-Lester. Among the half dozen other events is a Mental Health Gala at the Johnson Museum on April 13.

We’ve put our hearts as well as our minds into Mental Health Weekend. As a graduating senior, it will be one of the last Cornell Minds Matter events I’ll help with. I hope you can make it.

—By Cooper Walter

Cooper Walter is the president of Cornell Minds Matter. A member of the Class of 2018, he studies human biology, health, and society in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University.